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Plans for “The Match II” have been placed on hold until it is revealed how Phil Mickelson’s win over Tiger Woods in Las Vegas fared on pay-per-view.

Insiders are pessimistic, as the $9 million (£7 million) showdown at the Shadow Creek course in Nevada did not begin to live up to the hype. Charles Barkley, the basketball legend who was part of the HBO commentary team, labelled the action “crappy” and as the encounter rolled on to the 22nd hole – a makeshift par three of 93 yards – there were few arguing.

Social media criticism was rife, with widespread bemusement that the $19.99 fee could be seen as good value, although coverage was eventually put online for free in the United States because of technical difficulties.

The players were mic’d up during play but seemed reluctant to talk, and certainly did not engage in trash talk.

The camps of Mickelson and Woods had hoped this would lead to more of made-for-TV money-grabs, and it is understood that talks were already under way for Mickelson to take on Justin Thomas and Woods to play Hideki Matsuyama. Yet with whispers emerging that it was anything but a box-office hit, caution is now the order.

The Match turned out to be a low-quality affairCredit:
Getty Images

“We enjoyed it but I guess it will depend on if people enjoyed it,” Mickelson said. “Maybe it will be something people are interested in and want more of and bring people to the game.”

Defenders of "The Match" say charity benefited to the tune of $800,000 – the amount of the side bets, which did nothing to add to the tension. But Mickelson showed no intention of handing over any of his winner’s purse.

In the build-up, many found the pictures of Woods and Mickelson in front of wads of dollars distasteful, with Eddie Pepperell, the world No 38, calling the image “putrid”. The English golfer clearly thought the spectacle itself was just as unsavoury.

"A day like today is not going to take anything away from his (Woods') greatness", Mickelson saidCredit:
Getty Images

“It painted golf for a moment in a light which I think to many was off-putting,” Pepperell wrote in his blog. “Worse still, this event, by way of selling itself, has put golfers in the same basket of people who aren’t revered publicly, but who are often despised, due to their opulent wealth and seeming lack of awareness.”